Playback: RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook, 18 months later

Has new hardware and software made the PlayBook a significantly better tablet?

The news that RIM is quickly headed for extinction has been greatly exaggerated. Sure, RIM is no longer a top handset manufacturer. And though the company is not profitable—it's still losing money and market share—it is managing to keep its head above water. It is currently trying to build buzz around its forthcoming BlackBerry 10 software. RIM's initial tablet offering, the BlackBerry PlayBook, was greeted with mixed reviews when it hit the streets last year; we praised the device more for what it might become rather than for what it was. After 18 months and a major update to PlayBook OS, we're checking back in to see if any of that hinted-at potential has been realized, or if the PlayBook should be consigned to the bin.

When Ars first published our in-depth look at the PlayBook, we were impressed with its hardware and user interface. The software, though, left a lot to be desired. The PlayBook came with no third-party app integration, no standalone messaging software, no expandable storage, and limited usefulness right out of the box. Sales of the device weren't great: only 700,000 units had shipped during the first two quarters following its release, with its total unit sales rounding out to about 1.74 million. The adoption rates were so low that RIM lowered the price on the hardware and eventually pushed for Android apps to be ported over to it in an effort to help expand its market share.

The recent hefty PlayBook software update makes the device worth revisiting because of the unrealized promise of the original hardware. PlayBook OS version 2.1.0.1032 brings several notable enhancements to the PlayBook, including an updated BlackBerry Bridge for better device synchronization, enhancements to the e-mail application, and improved Android app support. We wanted to see if those updates have managed to improve the PlayBook's much-maligned software experience.

"The good" stayed good

Enlarge/ The PlayBook's hardware is still very impressive, and that matte black finish on the back offers a nice aesthetic touch.

A lot of what made the original PlayBook so palatable was its hardware. Since its initial launch, there have been two iterations of the BlackBerry PlayBook. The original contained a 1GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, a micro-USB port, and a micro-HDMI port. It could be purchased in 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB versions. Now, the BlackBerry PlayBook is only available in 32GB, but it has been updated with 4G LTE capabilities and a 1.5GHz processor, which puts it at hardware parity with some of the latest smartphones from Samsung, HTC, and Apple.

Enlarge/ The PlayBook features micro-USB and micro-HDMI for all of your connection needs.

The 7-inch tablet is still quite comfortable to use for prolonged periods of time. Though no upgrades were made to the PlayBook's audio hardware, it's still as good as when it first debuted. Video playback is smooth, and the audio can be turned up loud enough to clearly hear dialogue without the use of headphones.

RIM has also made the PlayBook more user-friendly. Users are no longer expected to bridge the device to a BlackBerry handset, and the tablet can be utilized as a standalone device. The podcast app contains an impressive array of popular shows usually featured in the iTunes Store, the Kobo Books e-reader app's text is crisp and easy to read, and Slacker Radio sounds great. There's also a native Facebook app and an app called PressReader, which lets users download digital newspapers to read on the go.

It's clear that RIM is trying to give the PlayBook its second lease on life by taking a cue from its competitors and not limiting the tablet to business-only functions. But it has a couple of things that it really needs to work on before we would even consider this device over an iPad or Android tablet.

"The bad" could have gotten worse

The things which made the PlayBook unappealing in the first place are unfortunately still present in the device. The PlayBook still lacks expandable storage, and the updated 4G LTE-capable version is only sold with 32GB of storage. This might not be as big an issue if you're also utilizing a BlackBerry smartphone, since your content will be at least partly on that device, but it could be a stumbling block for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone users—especially because the PlayBook still doesn't offer third-party cloud integration.

The PlayBook OS is also a little finicky. While the hardware bump from 1GHz to 1.5GHz seems to have helped the PlayBook manage some of its more processor-intensive applications—Flash videos, for example, load and play more smoothly than before as long as the Wi-Fi signal is strong—the browser still crashed on us several times when there were too many scripts running simultaneously on a site. There were times when the operating system would stutter while responding to simple tasks like pushing a button or selecting an area to input text.

Power management also seems to be an issue. We left the fully charged PlayBook running all night while transferring files to a computer; by the next morning, the battery was completely drained and the device required immediate charging. There are several options in the settings for stretching battery life, including lowering the screen's brightness, turning off Bluetooth, and pausing background applications. Though dimming the screen and nixing Bluetooth sound like they should help, toggling the "Application Behavior" setting to pause background apps was the only thing that had any significant impact.

Lastly, the most glaring issue with the PlayBook is the BlackBerry App World. It pales in comparison to the iOS App Store, Google Play, and even the Windows Marketplace. The BlackBerry's shrinking market share and perceived indifference to third-party integration means there isn't much of a rush for developers to even consider coding for it. In an effort to curb this, RIM had announced long ago that the PlayBook would eventually be able to handle Android apps, which is ironic considering Google's issues with its own app marketplace.

Nevertheless, RIM produced a tool with which Android developers could quickly port over applications to the PlayBook. These apps are difficult to tell apart and seem to mostly include games rather than the A-list productivity apps which a majority of business-focused BlackBerry users would actually want to use. While apps like Evernote and Wunderlist are available, there is still no official Google Docs application, nor is there an official Twitter app, or even 1Password. There are also no dedicated apps for streaming media services like Netflix or Spotify. Developers also seem in the habit of packaging "launcher" applications and charging users 99 cents for the luxury of not having to manually go to the website in another browser tab. A quick glance at the front page of the top-rated apps list shows almost nothing of any interest.

The BlackBerry App World is a huge disappointment for a service which has been around for almost as long as Google Play. It's understandable why developers aren't investing in the platform, but this catch 22 is exactly the kind of thing that's keeping the PlayBook down.

A shot at redemption

Enlarge/ PlayBook's ultimate unified inbox brings together work and personal e-mail, as well as social networking accounts.

Since RIM can't renovate the BlackBerry App World by inviting developers to actually develop for it, perhaps it can reignite the spark with the crowd that benefited the most from its services. The biggest pull for users to stick with RIM is its impeccable corporate e-mail integration. This functionality was not present in the initial release of the PlayBook's software because RIM had originally envisioned the device as an extension of a BlackBerry smartphone. Now, though, the PlayBook has its own native e-mail application which integrates nicely with the similarly new Calendar and Contacts apps.

Sending and receiving mail with the PlayBook is a delight. The Messages app is easy to navigate and integrates well with Calendar and Contacts. It supports BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, Exchange ActiveSync, Gmail, Hotmail, IMAP, and POP accounts, and if there are calendars linked to any of those accounts it syncs those, too. As an added bonus, the PlayBook now integrates with various social networks, so users can check on their favorite people without having to navigate to each individual site and send messages from a LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter account.

The Contacts app also allows linking, so users can link an individual's e-mail contact with a social networking account. The app did not automatically link those contacts with those from an Exchange account, however, requiring some manual intervention. Still, Messages and its companion applications are a good indication that RIM can indeed do software right.

The PlayBook is also slowly veering onto the right path with the recent news that it's one of the most secure tablets to use in the enterprise, alongside the iPad, because it offers core security features for Exchange e-mail accounts, as well as data protection and backup. By combining these two powerhouses—e-mail and security—RIM could market the BlackBerry PlayBook as the ultimate device for business users who need Exchange support but also want to watch a video from time to time.

Conclusion

One of the most important features of the PlayBook is its ability to seamlessly integrate with a BlackBerry smartphone, but unfortunately, we did not have a device on hand to test this functionality. RIM has managed to fix the Bridge issue since we last reviewed it, so the PlayBook no longer requires tethering to a BlackBerry device in order to be fully usable. However, it is still lacking some functionality which other tablets have, like Skype video chatting abilities and an instant messaging application, which doesn't cater just to the BlackBerry's PIM users.

As we mentioned in our initial review, it would have been handy to have some native Dropbox integration make its way to the PlayBook. Though it's possible to access and manage third-party cloud storage services like Dropbox and Box.net, it's taxing to have to download a document, edit it in the PlayBook's included Docs To Go app, and then manually re-upload it. Back in its heyday, RIM was successful because of how well the BlackBerry cloud services integrated with the enterprise, but it's time for RIM to evolve and integrate with other services besides Microsoft Office. This is especially important if RIM wants to lure back those who have switched from BlackBerry to a more widely used mobile operating system like Android or iOS.

Admittedly, with the near-total market dominance of Android and iOS over mobile handsets, RIM has a lot to contend with. The PlayBook is a decent device, but it had a plethora of problems at launch which severely hurt its entry into the game, and eighteen months later, many of those problems are still present. If the PlayBook wants its mojo back, RIM needs to act fast. In order to become marketable again, the company needs to continue to push the PlayBook as a standalone device—something that will cater to enterprises and business-oriented consumers. With BlackBerry 10 targeted to hit soon, this could be RIM's chance to start over with a clean slate.

The good:

Solid hardware and build quality

Superb e-mail functionality and social networking integration

Easy-to-use interface with touch-sensitive bezels

Fully functional without a BlackBerry smartphone to tether

Good speakers on each side for watching video

Vivid display for reading e-books

Flash has been fixed

Simple to back up and keep synced with your computer

The bad:

Still no expandable storage

OS can be finicky at times

No native third-party integration

Official apps from A-list third-party developers are missing

The ugly:

Promoted Comments

As an owner of a 64GB Playbook I must say the feeling is quite spot-on. It's an OK tablet. I quite like the UX (I mean basically it's an exact copy of the WebOS UI used on the TouchPad, except the performance isn't piss poor) and the bezel gestures are a nice addition. However I don't really use it very often due to the complaints made above about the marketplace. It's absolutely pathetic. I find myself much preferring to use my phone even in circumstances where using a tablet might make more sense due to increased screen size.

Although one thing I wanted to add that I believe you missed upon in the re-review is that the latest 2.1 update actually adds full device encryption. A quick search on Google revealed it uses the AES-256 bit algorithm for said device encryption as well - which is pretty nice in my book.

Florence Ion / Florence was a former Reviews Editor at Ars, with a focus on Android, gadgets, and essential gear. She received a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University and lives in the Bay Area.